The Finnish War gave Russia confidence without necessarily proving that it had recovered its strength after Austerlitz and other defeats. Alexander could read the territorial gain as evidence that Russian military power had been restored. A French observer could instead see an army that struggled whenever its logistics stretched and benefited greatly from Swedish high-command failures. The mismatch between those readings helps connect this smaller war to the assumptions surrounding Napoleon's invasion of Russia and the Battle of Borodino.
Notable Point · 2:50:19-2:51:20
A victory that taught Russia the wrong lesson
Success against Sweden encouraged Alexander I to believe Russia had recovered its military strength even though the campaign exposed serious logistical limits.